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Last Update: 10/27/2026 at 5:34 AM EST
Texas Data Center Expansion
Coverage from TPR, The Daily Texan, and others
Texas is a major site of data-center development, linking a large project pipeline to questions about electricity supply, grid connections, water, and public infrastructure.
ERCOT’s interconnection queue and state oversight efforts reflect concerns about how large new loads affect grid reliability and who should pay for needed upgrades. Water-use estimates vary widely with cooling technology, while local proposals can prompt disputes over land use, utility costs, and neighborhood impacts. The expansion also raises fiscal questions about tax incentives and the balance between development benefits and public costs.
Looking Back
293 Day Timeline
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All Articles37 articles
Important
Bastrop County residents opposed a proposed data center at an August 20 Rockne town hall over water use, power demand, taxes, and community impacts.
9/2/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Texas officials, researchers, and technology companies are debating data center expansion because gigawatt-scale power demand, cooling water needs, emissions, and local disruption could reshape communities across Texas.
9/3/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Texas data center developers are planning at least 248 projects and approximately 38 gigawatts of on-site gas generation across Texas as of mid-2026.
8/6/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
More than 100 Bastrop County residents opposed a proposed data center and power plant at an Aug. 20 town hall in Rockne, Texas, citing water use, tax incentives, infrastructure demands, and environmental impacts.
9/2/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
ENGIE expanded renewable power agreements with Meta and proposed co-located supply arrangements for Prometheus Hyperscale and Cipher Mining data centers in Texas.
7/13/2026 • Power Procurement & Grid • General
The Houston Advanced Research Center reported in the 2020s that Texas data center growth could raise air pollution by 2031, particularly where facilities use on-site natural gas.
10/20/2026 • Power Procurement & Grid • General
Texas farmers, ranchers, officials, and water experts are challenging rural data center expansion across West Texas over farmland conversion, groundwater use, and infrastructure impacts.
8/27/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Bastrop County officials are reviewing a 1,451-acre data center project near Earl Callahan Road as residents and Texas policymakers debate land, water, grid and tax impacts.
8/10/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
North Texas cities and counties are slowing or reviewing data center projects across Dallas-Fort Worth as water, power, land-use and community opposition concerns intensify.
9/3/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Interesting
Texas REALTORS® released community guidance for evaluating proposed data centers across Texas, covering power, water, zoning, infrastructure, housing, tax abatements, and public engagement.
1/1/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Bastrop County residents, officials, and advocates questioned EdgeConneX and Pacifico Energy data center projects during July 2020s public discussions in Cedar Creek and Bastrop, Texas.
7/31/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
As data center development expands, companies have donated or invested more than $343 million for community needs across Texas amid local scrutiny of projects.
10/1/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
The Public Utility Commission of Texas is considering large-load disclosure rules as rapid data center development increases water, emissions, and grid-planning concerns across Texas.
9/10/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
ERCOT approved batch reviews in June for large data center interconnection requests as Texas officials addressed rising electricity demand, water use, and grid costs.
8/9/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Texas Governor Greg Abbott paused pending data center interconnection requests statewide in August while ERCOT and state regulators assess grid, water, infrastructure, and community impacts.
8/19/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Texas's data center market currently includes 389 tracked facilities and a pipeline exceeding 69,335 MW across major clusters including Dallas-Fort Worth, Central Texas, and West Texas.
9/28/2026 • Market Demand & Investment • General
Dozens of Bastrop County residents attended a town hall in Texas to question EdgeConneX and Pacifico Energy data center expansion as construction begins and applications await county review.
7/23/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Governor Greg Abbott ordered Texas PUC and ERCOT to prevent residential ratepayers from funding data-center electric infrastructure tied to Fermi America development near Amarillo by July 17.
6/12/2026 • Power Procurement & Grid • General
Texas officials, utilities, and North Texas communities are confronting rapid data center expansion through audits, moratorium proposals, and tighter rules amid rising power and water demands.
8/5/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Potentia Development announced plans for Project Big Pine, a 450-acre Texas data-center industrial park using islanded generation before planned phased SWEPCO grid service.
8/17/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
CoreWeave will lease Building 1 of EdgeConneX AUS02 at Cedar Creek campus in Bastrop County, Texas, under a 75 percent tax abatement with mid-June 2026 completion.
7/27/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Governor Greg Abbott and ERCOT face escalating Texas data center buildout plans as AI demand increases power capacity requests and raises water and local permitting concerns.
6/26/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed ERCOT and the PUC in 2025 to audit data-center interconnections amid grid and water concerns statewide.
8/5/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Texas officials directed ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission to scrutinize data center connections statewide amid escalating electricity requests, water projections, and local opposition.
8/5/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Texas developers are planning large data center campuses and power investments through 2028, while state officials and ERCOT address grid interconnection and capacity across Texas.
9/25/2026 • Market Demand & Investment • General
Cushman & Wakefield ranked Dallas first among 107 global data center growth markets in 2026 as Texas expands development amid power and grid constraints.
8/9/2026 • Market Demand & Investment • General
Developers are advancing more than 5,500 acres of data center projects in Cedar Creek, Texas, with developments ranging from near completion to early planning.
9/12/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Shackelford County leaders are evaluating a proposed second data center near rural ranching and wildlife areas while the Frontier Campus continues construction and raises concerns about traffic, water, land use, and power.
8/2/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
The Texas Tribune identified at least 596 operating and planned data centers across Texas, while ERCOT reported nearly 2,000 grid-connection projects, mostly data centers, awaiting service.
9/2/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Texas officials and utilities are reviewing rapidly expanding data-center projects statewide after Governor Greg Abbott paused new grid connections in August over projected electricity, water, and taxpayer costs.
9/3/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Texas officials paused new data center grid connections in August after ERCOT reported 474 gigawatts of pending requests, mostly for projects across the state.
9/3/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Texas officials halted future data center grid connections in August after ERCOT reported that projects represented about 90% of 474 gigawatts in pending requests.
9/3/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Additional
North Texas local governments reported insufficient infrastructure for rapid data-center growth, while Texas paused new grid connections pending a state audit.
8/31/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
EdgeConneX has filed plans for four data center buildings totaling $2.8 billion in projected investment near Cedar Creek in Bastrop County, Texas, with construction beginning in 2026.
8/27/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
W Land Development announced a Texas expansion into data center site preparation, coordinating land, permits, utilities, power, and water planning as ERCOT reviews surging connection demand.
8/11/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Crow Holdings proposed a 245-megawatt data center campus near Dallas Market Hall as Texas officials and Red Oak residents debated infrastructure, water, zoning, and tax exemptions.
7/29/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Crow Holdings and CleanArc Data Centers plan a five-story, 245MW facility at Dallas Market Center in Texas, potentially replacing Market Hall by late 2027.
8/3/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General